Antonio Vallana, Colline Novaresi (Piedmont, Italy) Spanna 2010

Those of us who are old enough can remember the glorious Spannas (a local name for Nebbiolo) from the Antonio Vallana estate that were available in the 1970’s and 1980’s.  The several Spanna bottlings at the time were among the best–and certainly most affordable–renditions of Nebbiolo available.  After a multi-year hiatus, Vallana Spannas are back in the market under the aegis of a new generation of Vallanas.  The 2010 Colline Novaresi Spanna brought back the wonderful memories of Spannas past.  Deep in color, the bouquet shows black cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant fruits enhanced by lovely mint, cedar, anise, tobacco and spice tones.  Velvety and rich on the palate, it offers layers of ripe fruit with a plush texture and elements of licorice, cedar, earth and spice.  This is a delicious Novara Hills Nebbiolo — rounder and softer than its Langhe Hills cousins — but absolutely delicious in its own right.  Italian wine lovers should seek it out.